Field of the Invention
This present invention relates to an electronic silicon based microvalve which is an integral structure made on one piece of silicon and is a flow through valve with inlet and outlet on opposite sides of the silicon wafer. The closure plate of the microvalve can be in the form of a cantilever, a beam attached at two sides, or a diaphragm attached at four sides with flow holes through the diaphragm.
In the prior art there are other types of microvalves including one in which a miniature valve is fabricated from two micromachined pieces of material which must be assembled after processing. Another miniature valve has an enclosed chamber with flow inlet and flow outlet on the same side of a silicon wafer.
In the present invention the miniature valve is made on a single piece of silicon and is a flow through valve with a flow inlet and a flow outlet on opposite sides of the silicon wafer. This is a miniature integral thin film bleed valve in which the closure plate or member surface conforms to the surface of the valve orifice plate or member. The valve closure plate of this invention has flow holes through the plate, the holes being near but laterally displaced from the valve orifice that reduce the effective area the gas pressure is pushing against when closing, making it easier to close the valve.